High Explosives and Propellants Energetics: Their Dissolution and Fate in Soils

Abstract

Live-fire military training scatters energetic compounds onto range soils. Once deposited on soil the explosives and propellants ingredients can dissolve in water, experience complex interactions with soil constituents, and migrate to groundwater. While in contact with soil these chemicals are also subject to biotic and abiotic (hydrolysis, photolysis, and reaction with metals) transformation both in the solid and in the aqueous state. In this chapter we summarize the current state of knowledge on how energetic residues are deposited on range soils, what the residues look like and how quickly they dissolve. We also describe the key physicochemical properties (aqueous solubility, (Sw) pH, octanol-water partitioning coefficient, of the energetic compounds in high explosives and propellants and how these parameters influence their biogeochemical interactions with soil. Knowing the reaction routes of these chemicals will help us understand their fate, their ecological impact, and how to enhance in situ remediation.